Blow organ



F. H. MAGNUS June 2a, 1955 BLOW ORGAN 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Sept. 5,1952 June 28, 1955 F. H. MAGNUS 2,711,665

BLOW ORGAN Filed Sept. 5, 1952 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 jzwzzia.

United States Patent BLOW ORGAN Finn H. Magnus, Essen Fells, N. 1.

Application September 5, 1952, Serial No. 308,015

' 1 Claim. (Cl. 84-360) My invention relates to a blow organ and has asits principal object the provision of a novel and improved type of bloworgan which can be operated by a gentle blowing action and without thenecessity of a tiring effort on the part of an operator.

It is another object of my invention to provide a blow organ of thecharacter described having a wind chest wherein air for operating theinsturment may be accumulated under pressure, and having a bafile in thewind chest for controlling the flow of air from the wind chest to thereeds of the organ.

it is still another object of my invention to provide a blow organ ofthis type having parts which for the most part may be formed from aninexpensive plastic material, and which in accordance with my inventioncan be easily and quickly assembled into a complete unit.

Other objects and advantages of my invention will become apparent as thecourse of the specification progresses.

In accordance with my invention, I provide a wind chest wherein air foroperating the instrument may be accumulated. The chest includes aplurality of openings and means are provided for selectively opening andclosing such openings. A reed plate having a plurality of reeds thereonspaced for alignment with the openings in the chest is mounted in thechest so that the reeds are located at the interior ends of theopenings, and a baffle is mounted opposite the reed plate in the chestto control the flow of air in the chest to the reeds as the openings inthe chest are selectively opened by the aforesaid means. The baffle isof such a length that it is disposed opposite the reed plate forsubstantially the entire distance between end reeds of the plate; andpreferably such baflle includes a plurality of individual cells fordirecting the air to the reeds which cells are open only at one end whenthe battle occupies its assembled position.

I shall describe one form of my invention and then point out the novelfeatures thereof in the claim.

In the accompanying drawings Fig. 1 is a rear perspective view of a bloworgan embodying the features of my invention;

Figure 2 is a longitudinal vertical sectional view taken on the plane ofthe line 2-2 of Fig. 1;

Figure 3 is a transverse vertical sectional view taken on the plane ofthe line 3-3 of Fig. 2;

Figure 4 is a view similar to Fig. 3 showing one of the keys depressed;

Figure 5 is a top longitudinal horizontal sectional view taken on theplane of the line 5-5 of Fig. 2;

Figure 6 is a bottom longitudinal horizontal sectional view taken on theplane of the line 6--6 of Fig. 2;

Figure 7 is a bottom plan view of the comb section;

Figure 8 is a top plan view of the reed plate;

Figure 9 is' a bottom plan view of the baffle;

Figure 10 is a fragmentary top plan view of the gasket.

Referring to the drawings, reference character 1 designates a casingwhich simulates the form of a pipe "ice organ and is preferably formedfrom a suitable plastic material. Casing 1 encloses the wind chest 2also preferably of a plastic material, the casing being adhesivelysecured to the edges of a plate3 of which that portion between integralflange portions 4 forms the bottom wall of the wind chest. Wind chest 2also includes two half sections 5 and 6 adhesively secured to each otherand to plate 3 along integral flange portions 4 which half sections formthe front and back walls 7 and 8, and end walls 9 and 10 of the windchest. The top wall of the wind chest comprises a comb section 11 whichis provided with end and front and back flange portions 12 that overlapthe top edges of the end, front and back walls of the wind chest. Suchtop edges are adhesively secured to the comb section.

Comb section 11 includes a plurality of transverse slots spaced foralignment with a predetermined number of keys 21 forming the keyboard ofthe instrument. Secured to the underside of the comb section 11 in somesuitable manner as by adhesive is a reed plate 22, preferably of aplastic material and having integral reeds 23 thereon which are alignedwith slots 20 in comb section 11. Reed plate 22 may, for example, be ofthe type shown and described in applicants Patent No. 2,373,129 issuedApril 10, 1945. Secured to the underside of the reed plate as byadhesive is a baffle 13 also preferably plastic and having walledchannels or cells 24 which are aligned with the reeds 23 of reed plate22. Channels 24 open out into the interior of wind chest 2 at only oneend 26 at one edge of the baffle in spaced opposed relation to the wall5 of the wind chest and serves to control the flow of air from the windchest to the reeds.

The top side of comb section 11 has a suitable gasket secured thereonhaving openings 30 aligned with slots 20 of comb section 11. Openings 30and slots 20 of gasket 25 and comb section 11 respectively are coveredby one end portion 31 of keys 21 in their normal position. Keys 21 areheld in their covering position by springs 32 each of which has one end33 locked under an overhanging lip 34 on comb section 11 and the otherend pressed against end portion 31 of one of the keys. Keys 21 arepivoted intermediate their ends on the comb section and for this purposeare provided on their undersides with grooves 35 which mate with aprojecting edge 36 on the comb. By depressing end portions 37 of keys 21the keys may be pivoted against the bias of springs 32, thereby raisingend portions 31 and uncovering openings 30 and slots 20.

Wind chest 2 is provided with an inlet 40 for air, and a flexible tube41 fitted at one end over the inlet and having a mouth piece 42 at itsother end. Tube 41 extends through an opening 43 in casing 1.

In operating the instrument air is blown through flexible tube 41 intowind chest 2 where it is accumulated under pressure. The keys aredepressed in chosen sequence causing air in the wind chest to be forcedthrough the channel in the wind chest aligned with a depressed key pastthe reed aligned with the depressed key and thence through the slot andopening in the comb and gasket respectively also aligned with such keyto the outside of the chest. As the air rushes past the reed, the reedis caused to vibrate at a frequency determined by its length to producethe desired sound. The sound escapes from casing 1 through screenedopening in the rear wall. With the construction herein described only agentle blowing action is required to operate the instrument, it beingunnecessary to build the pressure up from atmospheric to playingpressure each time a key or combination of keys are depressed because ofthe reservoir of compressed air maintained in the wind chest.Furthermore, because of the baflle which directs the air from the windchest to the reeds, less air is required to play the instrument thanwould otherwise be required.

Although I have herein shown and described only one form of myinvention, it is to be understood that various changes and modificationsmay be made therein within the scope of the appended claim withoutdeparting from the spirit and scope of my invention.

Having thus described my invention, What I claim is:

In a blow organ, the combination of a wind chest having a comb sectionas one Wall thereof, the comb section having a plurality of openingstherethrough, a reed plate including a plurality of reeds spaced foralignment of each reed with one of said openings, the reed plate beingsecured to the interior side of the comb section with the reeds locatedat the interior ends of said openings, a baffle secured to the reedplate inside said wind chest with one edge in opposed spaced relation toanother wall of said wind chest, said bafiie having a plurality ofwalled wind cells each for one of'said feeds of the reed plate,

said wind cells being open atonly one end through said,

References Cited'in. the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS147,608 Cheney et a1 Feb. 17, 1874 227,343 Bartlett May 11, 1880 449,756Egan Apr. 7, 1891 1,995,751 Sampietro Mar. 26, 1935 2,610,538 LederfineSept. 16, 1952 FOREIGN PATENTS 5319/26 Australia May 9, 1927

